Charges dropped against mother in son's death

By Daniel Tepfer, STAFF WRITER

Published 6:37 pm, Monday, August 31, 2009

BRIDGEPORT -- A Superior Court judge Wednesday dismissed charges against a city woman arrested in connection with the 2007 death of her 3-month-old son after her husband took responsibility for the boy's death.

Judge George Thim dismissed the charges of first-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor against 22-year-old Ebony Villaneuva after prosecutors decided not to pursue the case.

Villaneuva's husband, John McCready, 30, recently pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and risk of injury to a minor. He faces a nine-year prison term.

"He set my daughter up and made her seem like the person who had killed my grandson," Villaneuva's mother, Edna Villaneuva, said angrily after the charges were dismissed. "He killed his own 3-month-old child. What kind of man does that?"

According to Corradino, the baby, John McCready Jr., was brought to Bridgeport Hospital suffering seizures on Dec. 22, 2007. He died three days later.

The prosecutor said an autopsy determined the baby died from blunt head trauma. The child also had two broken ribs from earlier incidents.

Corradino said McCready initially claimed that his girlfriend and baby's mother, Ebony Villanueva, had been caring for the child when the child became ill.

Villanueva was initially charged with the baby's death.

McCready, however, was later arrested after admitting to police that the injuries occurred while he was overseeng the child's care, Corradino said. He said he had picked up the baby when he began crying and may have held the child too tightly.